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Cody Maverick
- Voiced by: Shia LaBeouf
A young penguin who wants to be a surfer. However, what he has in determination, he lacks in skill and discipline.
- All of the Other Reindeer: His love for surfing doesn't make him very popular in Antarctica.
- The Determinator: No matter what anyone says to him or tells him, Cody won't stop trying. Because that's what winners do.
- High Hopes, Zero Talent: Downplayed. Cody's not a bad surfer, per say, but he is impatient and reckless, something that nearly kills him in a near-fatal wipe out. It isn't until he starts practicing with Geek/Big Z that he finally learns how to master the waves.
- I Just Want to Be Special: All Cody wants is to become a legendary surfer like Z and win a competition. This is eventually subverted, as Cody learns that surfing is less about the competition and more about genuinely loving the sport.
- Instant Expert: Cody spends just one full day of surfing with Z, but it's enough to help him understand that the secret to surfing isn't knowing the competition, but appreciating the spirit of it.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be sarcastic and short-tempered, but he's got a good heart and cares about his friends, to where he risks his life to save Chicken Joe from Tank's sabotage.
- Official Couple: With Lani.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: After finding out that Big Z faked his death to avoid public embarrassment, Cody temporarily loses all admiration for him. But after he returns to save Cody, the two become close friends.
- Took a Level in Badass: His first run at surfing results in an Epic Fail that almost costs him his life. By the end of the film, Cody is a much more experience surfer.
- Took a Level in Kindness: At first, all Cody really wants is to be the best. However, after spending time with Geek and honing his craft, he learns that surfing isn't just about competitions and fame, becoming more humble in the end.
Geek (Unmarked Spoilers)
- Voiced by: Jeff Bridges
A lazy outcast penguin who knows a pretty good deal about surfing. When he notices that Cody has the heart to surf, but lacks the discipline, he decides to take him under his wing. He's later revealed to be Big Z, a former surf-boarding champion and Cody's idol.
- Acrofatic: He's overweight, but is actually a graceful surfer.
- Big Damn Heroes: During the climax, he comes back and saves Cody when he gets stuck in a particularly dangerous surfing area.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: He doesn't have that much motivation, but he's great a surfing and gives Cody very meaningful advice.
- Broken Ace: He was widely considered to be the greatest surfer ever. Once he lost to Tank, however, he lost his will to surf and went into self-imposed exile for years.
- Cool Old Guy: He's a former surfing champion who raised his niece by himself and helps teach Cody how to surf like a pro. Not to mention the fact that he's voiced by Jeff Bridges.
- Cool Uncle: He is Lani's uncle and he raised her through most of her life. Also, he used to be a famous surfer, which gives him even more "cool" points.
- Defeat as Backstory: After suffering a humiliating loss to Tank, Big Z's love of surfing was crushed, which led to him faking his own death and living as an outcast for years.
- Formerly Fit: As Big Z, he had the same build as Tank. Now he is quite fat.
- Heavy Sleeper: Z doesn’t even flinch while Cody yells in his ear to wake him up.
- The Hero's Idol: Cody Maverick was inspired to be a surfer by Big Z, who has been presumed dead for years. When discovered by Cody, Z teaches him how to surf. It's done reluctantly at first, but Z warms up to Cody over time.
- Hidden Depths: For a guy of his physique, he actually knows a lot about surfing. It helps with the fact that he's a former surfing super star.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: After losing to Tank, Big Z disappeared, choosing to live a life in solitude and decides that he was better off just surfing for fun rather than letting it be about the fame and glory.
- Jaded Washout: Back in the day, he was considered one of the greatest surfers ever until he was humiliated by Tank. Since then, he became a cynical outcast and tries his best to forget about his previous life.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Lazy, snarky and doesn't really want to help Cody at first, but he has a good heart.
- The Mentor: He ends up becoming one for Cody as he helps him learn how to surf like a pro as well as learn the real spirit of surfing.
- Parental Substitute: He pretty much raised his niece, Lani, and becomes a father-figure to Cody later on in the film.
- Trademark Favorite Food: “Bring me some more clams when you get back!”
- Troll: Some of his earlier training sessions with Cody mostly involve just screwing with him.
- Walking Spoiler: The fact that he is Big Z is a pretty big spoiler.
Lani
- Voiced by: Zooey Deschanel
A lifeguard and Cody's love interest.
- Big Damn Heroes: It comes with the job. She saves Cody from his near-fatal wipe out, as well as Tank's during the climax.
- Cartoon Penguin: She is the only penguin who does not resemble a specific species. The art-book calls her a Gentoo penguin, but this is a case of Informed Species.
- Hidden Depths: Turns out Lani knows a thing or two about surfing as well.
- Nice Girl: Mostly a sweet, helpful penguin.
- Toothy Bird: When she is shown as a child in a photo, she has two teeth in her beak. This is rather odd because Lani lacks teeth as an adult, like all the other penguins in the film.
Chicken Joe
- Voiced by: Jon Heder
Cody's friend who happens to be a chicken. He is the comic relief of the movie.
- Afraid of Blood: After Cody’s wipeout, Chicken Joe asks if Cody is bleeding. In fact, the very thought of blood makes him immediately faint.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He may not be that smart, but he's a skilled surfer and ultimately wins the competiton.
- The Ditz: He isn't the brightest tool in the shed, that's for sure.
- Kindhearted Simpleton: Very ditzy, but also one of the nicest characters in the film.
- Mellow Fellow: Nothing ever seems to faze this guy.
- Nice Guy: Joe is an easy going, friendly guy who quickly befriends Cody.
- Surfer Dude: Most characters count, as the movie focuses on surfing, but Joe is the most obvious, considering his extremely calm, almost stoner-like disposition.
- Token Minority: He’s the only chicken to enter the surfing contest.
- Undying Loyalty: Even though they've only known each other for a short time, Chicken Joe treats Cody like his best friend and actually goes out looking for him when he goes missing.
Tank "The Shredder" Evans
- Voiced by: Diedrich Bader
The nine-time champion of the Big Z Memorial Surf-Off competition.
- Attention Whore: If there's one thing Tank loves more than winning, it's being the center of attention.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of the first movie.
- The Bully: He pretty much treats any competitor like dirt. Even kids.
- Cargo Ship: In-universe. He tends to get quite... personal... with his trophies.
- Child Hater: Just to show how much of a jerk he is, Tank has a habit of picking on kid surfers.
- Glory Hound: Tank will do pretty much anything to win, especially if it involves cheating.
- Jerk Jock: Professional surfer, seems to be quite buff for a penguin and happens to be a huge Jerkass.
- Jerkass: A vain, aggressive penguin who cheats in every competition and constantly insults Cody.
- Pet the Dog: For what it's worth, he is reasonably polite to the film crew when they interview him. He even shows them his trophy room, which is marked with a "KEEP OUT OR DIE" sign.
- Red Right Hand: He is a big bully who has differently colored eyes.
- Trophy Wife: Literally, he flirts with his surfing trophies as if they are his girlfriends.
- Would Hurt a Child: He's been seen deliberately crashing into young penguins' boards. Is it any wonder they hate him?
Reggie Belafonte
- Voiced by: James Woods
A short-tempered sea otter and surfing promoter who has absolutely zero respect for surfing as a sport.
- Bad Boss: He doesn't treat his underlings very well. Especially Mikey.
- Bald of Evil: His hair is actually just a wig.
- Establishing Character Moment: He's first introduced talking about how his job is to give aspiring young surfers a chance to shine, and even acting sentimental when he reminisces about the good old days with Big Z. Cut the next shot where he drops the act entirely and insists that the interview is about him.
- It's All About Me: The only things that matters to Reggie are his reputation and success.
- Jerkass: He's as much of a self-absorbed jerk as Tank.
- Lack of Empathy: Cody has a near-fatal wipe out, and how does he respond?Reggie: That was spectacular!
- Laser-Guided Karma: Once Big Z exposes him for the cheap sleazebag he is, everyone ditches his side of the beach and chooses to join Z on the other side of the island. After firing Mikey for ripping off his wig on camera, he slips from the surfboards he was standing on.
- Motor Mouth: He can say a whole lot in a matter of seconds.
- Nice Character, Mean Actor: On camera, he acts like he cares about giving young surfers a chance to prove their worth, but all he really cares are the benefits he reaps from being their sponsor.
- Shadow Archetype: Lampshaded by Geek. When Cody asks him about how he can score "points" to win the competition, Big Z exclaims that he sounds exactly like Belafonte.
- Token Minority: He is the only significant mammal character in the entire movie.
Mikey Abromowitz
- Voiced by: Mario Cantone
A cranky and tired shorebird who works for Reggie, scouting surfers for the Big Z Memorial Surf-Off as well as doing whatever Reggie wants in general.
- Beleaguered Assistant: Not happy about his job, or of Reggie's Lack of Empathy towards others.
- Foil: To the lazy and selfish Reggie. Mikey does all the work and shows concern for people's well-being.
- The Dog Bites Back: At the end of the movie, he rips of Reggie's wig. When Reggie fires him, he's perfectly happy.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's cranky and frustrated with seemingly everything, but that's because he's overworked. He actually has more respect for surfing than Reggie, when Cody wipes out is worried about him, even trying to convince him not to go out in fear of serious injury.
